I was fortunate to attend the last few hours of the annual Bon Odori festival held at the Seattle Buddhist Temple this past weekend. The celebrations consisted of honoring one’s ancestors, shaved ice, yakisoba, and dancing in the streets until the sun went down, which happens pretty late around here.

check out what showed up outside my window THIS morning.

This is MUCH better than when i stumbled out of bed only to step in a pile of cold dog barf.
But that was then, this is now.

It’s not only a double rainbow but the outer band is inversed, which makes this SUPER RARE.
You may now comment at will…

So today I was shaken from sleep by an onslaught of phone calls, texts, and facebook messages (but no tweets) warning me of eminent destruction of these Hawaiian islands (and much of the Pacific Rim)  by a tremendous tsunami wrought from the massive earthquake experienced in Chile yesterday.

The morning quickly dissolved from there into a confused buzz. Off in the distance sirens were blaring, church bells ringing, canned goods flying off the shelves at Foodland, riots at the gas pumps, all the classic examples. Good portions of the towns at sea level were evacuated up into the nearby hills. The waves were expected to batter the islands at around 11:00 AM sharp.

Not knowing what to expect, I grabbed a water bottle, the Canon, and headed for the nearest bluff for a front row seat.

If there’s anything that i’ve learned from Lost, which is a LOT!!! Omigod i still LOVE that show! Is that if you happen to suddenly notice  a group of people that you can’t quite recognize, and you usually only see the back of their heads, they are most likely going to die a horrible death in the next few minutes… So I decided to avoid integrating into this group.

As the 11:00 hour crept away, the apparent non-activity out at sea allowed for some time to explore the surrounding areas for some impromptu photos of local flora.

Nice landscapes too.

As noon time rolled around, the crowd of onlookers suddenly increased, this one Keanu Reeves type guy started to speak with much aplomb that he had been watching the events unfold on TV and had decided to show up on the scene exactly when the waves were meant to hit this humble island. We all turned our eyes seaward again to witness an awe inspiring force of nature… However…

At the risk of sounding insensitive, I have to say that everyone turned away a bit disappointed. Given the widespread death and destruction that has been wrought on innocent lives around the world as of late in the form of natural disasters, we were all able to say “at least no one was hurt”. But… we would have least like to have witnessed a little more of a spectacle.

After staring at the sea for so long, i had a hankering to not only listen to The Cure, but take a long overdue dip in the calm clear waters. I can at least say that I hit the beach on the day of the tsunami. Proof below. So there.

The events in this story were true… now lets get back to some drawing already…

So, i am really excited to announce that the long awaited new CD from Opus Ditty and the Hoedown gang is now available for the masses to behold and marvel. This is children’s music at it’s best, polished and honed to the nth degree and is a rollicking good listen from start to finish… and that’s not even mentioning the secret track.

These guys and gals have put their all into crafting this disc for everyone’s enjoyment and their hard work shines though with every decibel. I have been happy  and proud to have been invited along to create the illustrations and designs for their CD packaging. Pick up a copy for you and yours at opusditty.com

The Gang is already delving into a new album as we speak. I am looking forward to gearing up for a fresh batch of drawings of their latest exploits. A music video is in the works too! Keep your eyes on the horizon!

because… finally…!